


Parenthood

by ozuttly



Category: Kamen Rider Ghost
Genre: Cats, Fluff, M/M, alain learns the joys of parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 13:09:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11555865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozuttly/pseuds/ozuttly
Summary: Takeru had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, and he blinked owlishly as Alain reached under the table, pulling out a very large cardboard box that Takeru had yet to notice. He set it on the table, gesturing for Takeru to come closer and take a look.The box was moving.Or, Alain, Takeru and Makoto end up taking in a litter of kittens.





	Parenthood

It doesn’t take Takeru long to notice that something is a bit off when he comes home one day. 

Alain and Makoto are sitting in the main room, staring intently at one another, and at first Takeru is worried that they might have had a fight. Makoto’s brow is furrowed, his mouth set into a thin line, while Alain looks stubbornly petulant from where he’s seated across from him. The tension is palpable, and Takeru pauses in the doorway, not sure if he should go in or leave and come back later. But Alain and Makoto are friends; they shouldn’t be fighting, and Takeru decides to cough lightly and make his presence known. 

Alain looks up first, turning his eyes on Takeru like a guided laser, and Takeru almost regrets coming into the room. 

“Takeru, good,” he begins, and Makoto’s stern frown weakens a little, his face softening into a more fond look of exasperation. “I was hoping you’d come home. Makoto is being entirely unreasonable,” he huffed, and Makoto gave him a stern look in return. 

“I never said no,” he began, but Alain no longer seemed to be listening to him. Takeru had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, and he blinked owlishly as Alain reached under the table, pulling out a very large cardboard box that Takeru had yet to notice. He set it on the table, gesturing for Takeru to come closer and take a look.

The box was moving.

“They will be staying in my room,” Alain said, leaving no room for compromise, and Makoto sighed beside him. 

“You have to ask, Alain. It’s Takeru’s house, you can’t just bring in a pet without–”

He couldn’t finish his thought, because Takeru let out a little noise of delight, reaching into the box to pull out one of the tiny newborn kittens. 

“Oh, they’re so cute!” he exclaimed, peeking at the tiny black creature that was struggling to keep its eyes open. It barely fit in the palm of his hand, and Takeru had to fight the urge to cuddle with it. “What happened? Were they abandoned at the temple?” 

Makoto gave Alain a pointed look, and Alain at least had the decency to look somewhat guilty. 

“They were in the city,” he admitted, but he still had his shoulders squared, as if daring either of the other two to fight him on his decision. “They are small and fragile creatures; they would die without food and warmth, so I have taken them into my care. Makoto thinks that it is a bad idea.” 

He glared at him, and Makoto looked like they had had this argument several times over the past hour. Takeru admired his resilience; he was already thinking of places to put the cat bed. 

“Raising a kitten is a lot of work,” he said, sounding very much like a father explaining to a child. “Let alone five kittens, Alain. They’re really young, and we’re involved in a lot of dangerous situations. I just think it would be better to…”

He trailed off, blinking as he looked up at Takeru, who had taken out the largest of the kittens and placed it on the table. It mewed quietly, wobbling over to Makoto’s hand, that had been resting on the table surface. Takeru was leaning over the table, watching giddily as the kitten began to rub against the side of Makoto’s thumb, purring like a little motorboat. Alain looked a little jealous; Takeru noted that he had a few scratches on his hands, now that he was looking closely, and Makoto didn’t have the heart to finish his sentence. 

“We’ll take care of them in shifts,” Takeru suggested, smiling at his two boyfriends happily. “And then, once they’re old enough, we can worry about finding them homes.” 

***

Taking care of them in shifts was easier said than done, it turned out. Kittens didn’t abide by any human schedule, and none of them had any experience taking care of pets. Alain had insisted that things would be alright if they just tried, but after trying to feed one of the kittens a takoyaki his right to make decisions on the matter was quickly overruled. 

“So they need a blanket, a litter box… probably one room in the temple with a heater so they can stay warm,” Takeru listed, looking at the different brands of kitten formula on the pet store shelf. Makoto nodded beside him, his own eyes drifting to colourful cat toys and little stuffed mice filled with catnip. He seemed a bit distracted, and Takeru hummed thoughtfully as he finally picked out the brand he thought would be best.

“Do you really not want to take them in?” He asked when Makoto’s silence got oppressive, and the other boy nearly jumped at his voice. He looked guilty for a second, shifting from foot to foot before pointedly looking back at the shelf. Alain had been left home with the kittens, under the pretense that he not feed them anything until Takeru and Makoto got home with the supplies, so Takeru figured he’d finally get a chance to find out why Makoto was so hesitant. He couldn’t remember him ever having an aversion to cats, but they had been separated for a long time, so he couldn’t be sure. 

“They’re young,” Makoto said finally, picking up a tiny green collar and turning it over in his hands. “They… Some of them might not make it. I don’t think Alain realizes that, and even then, we’ll have to find homes for them someday. I don’t want him to get attached and then lose them,” he admitted, eyes focused on the collar in his hands, and Takeru hummed softly in acknowledgement. 

That was true, and a real risk that they were taking. Even so, Alain had made leaps and bounds since coming to live at the temple, and the love and affection he’d shown to the kittens since he’d found them could only be a good thing, Takeru thought. 

“I don’t think it’s bad to try,” he said finally, giving Makoto a smile and a reassuring shoulder squeeze. “Even if things don’t go well, it’s better to try than to just give up.” 

Makoto looked a bit startled by his words, blinking owlishly at him before his face broke into a soft smile. 

***

When they got home, Alain was no longer in the main room, and neither were the kittens. Takeru and Makoto shared a worried look, but Kanon walked in at that moment, smiling brightly, so things couldn’t be too bad. 

“Oh, Onii-chan, Takeru-san!” she greeted, running over to them with her phone in her hand. “Look, look, it was so cute, I’m so glad I managed to get a picture…”

Before Takeru realized what was happening, Kanon’s phone was shoved in his face, and on the screen was a picture of Alain laying on top of his futon. He glanced at Makoto - the other boy had been trying to get Alain to fold it up and put it away during the day for the past month, but the scolding never stuck - before he noticed a little shock of orange under Alain’s green cape. He immediately grabbed the phone to take a closer look, tilting it towards Makoto excitedly.

“Look, look! They’re sleeping in his shirt, that’s adorable,” Takeru cooed, and even Makoto couldn’t help but grin at the five little balls of fluff that had snuggled up on Alain’s stomach and chest, no doubt seeking heat. It really was adorable, and Takeru could see Makoto’s hesitance fading away as a sleepy-looking Alain stepped out into the main room, kittens presumably placed back in their box. Takeru and Makoto took one look at him before Takeru ran forward, pulling him into a hug while talking about how cute he was. 

***

“This is Specter,” Alain said the next morning, after the kittens had been fed and looked after through the night. The three of them were sitting in Alain’s room, watching the little balls of fluff sleep after spending the morning running around and playing with each other. The one in question that he was pointing to was the one that had taken a shine to Makoto on the first day, a short-haired tuxedo that had proven to be the laziest of the bunch so far. 

“You named them?” Takeru asked, curious, while Makoto let out a good-natured snort. Alain ignored him, nodding his head as he turned to the rest of the kittens, pointing to each of them one by one. 

“This is Ghost,” he began, tapping a small, long-haired orange tabby on the nose - this one was the most energetic, and had given Makoto a run for his money when he had tried to feed them that morning. “This is Alia, after my sister,” a shorthaired, pure black cat that was snoozing on Alain’s knee. “Boost,” a short haired tabby with a white chest. “And… Eyecon,” he announced, proudly showing off a mackeral tabby, the smallest of the litter and easily the most affectionate. 

Takeru and Makoto shared a look, Takeru fighting to keep the smile off his face while Makoto tried very hard not to laugh. 

“You named the cat Eyecon,” Makoto began, while Takeru picked up Ghost and grinned at him. The cat wiggled out of his grasp easily enough, crawling up his arm until he came to rest on his shoulder, then toppled over into his hood. He was worried for a second, but the sound of purring soon reassured him that the kitten was alright, so he decided to leave it be. 

“He named them after us, I think it’s cute,” Takeru countered, reaching forward to stroke Boost behind the ears. “But Eyecon is a bit… Hm. Oh! How about we name him Necrom instead!”

“Yes, that way no one's left out," Makoto agreed immediately, and Alain scrunched up his nose, the tips of his ears turning pink. 

“I do not think that I am that… Soft,” he protested weakly, but Takeru was already pulling him in close, sandwiching him in between himself and Makoto so that all three of them could snuggle together. 

“You’re super soft. Very snuggle-able,” he reassured him, and Makoto let out a huff of laughter. 

***

“That cat is not a he,” was the first thing Akari said when Alain, Makoto and Takeru introduced her to their new litter. She was looking Necrom up and down, her eye critical and analyzing, and she quickly did the same with the rest of the kittens. “Neither is this one. The orange one and the black one are boys, but the tuxedo and the little one with the white chest are both girls, too.”

Alain looked absolutely distraught as he picked Alia up, holding her - or, rather, him - up to his face as though the kitten had betrayed his trust. 

“I named you after my sister,” he accused, only to get a meow in response before Alia licked his nose. 

“We can always change the names,” Makoto suggested as Boost and Ghost began to chase each other around the room, but Makoto stubbornly stuck out his lower lip and shook his head. 

“No. I don’t wish to confuse them. The names will stay.” 

***

The kittens did not stay tiny for long. Onari, Kanon and Akari all pitched in a hand helping to look after them, and between fighting the ganma and taking care of them, soon enough they’re big enough to be eating solid food. 

They’re also getting too big to stay confined to just one room in the temple, and it’s still taking a bit of adjustment to get used to them having full run of the place. 

“Specter! Don’t eat my toast!” Takeru exclaimed, frowning as he chased the black cat off the table. He had turned around for only a moment to pour himself a glass of milk, but Specter was a little ninja, and as they had learned, would do anything for food. Alain frowned from his spot at the table, Necrom sitting obediently in his lap, as he shooed the errant kitten away from Takeru’s breakfast. 

“I think she’s getting a little fat,” Makoto commented as she yowled and ran right over to his feet as he entered the room, practically trying to climb up his pantleg. Boost was prancing after him, mewling happily, while Ghost had taken up his regular spot in Takeru’s hood. Alia was watching everything unfold from his hiding spot just behind the doorframe, and Alain let out an offended gasp. 

“She is not fat,” he defended, looking like he wanted to reach out and cover Specter’s ears. “She is simply big boned and has a healthy appetite.”

“She is a bit fat,” Takeru agreed with Makoto as he sat down at the table, eyeing the nibbled edge of his toast with dismay. “But it’s not a bad thing. It’s better that she’s bigger now,” he added quickly, because Alain seemed shocked and appalled that Takeru would say such a thing about their cat while she was still within earshot. Necrom meowed as though to agree with him, rubbing her head against his chest. 

It was then that Onari burst in, excitedly waving several pieces of paper around in his hands. 

“Takeru-dono!” He exclaimed, rushing around the table before almost tripping over Alia, who had finally darted out just in time to run between his legs in an attempt to trip him up. He shrieked as he almost crashed into the wall, but Makoto grabbed him by the elbow and righted him just in time to avoid the collision. He turned to glare at Alia, who was now seated happily in the middle of the floor, licking his paw like nothing had happened. “Alia-dono! Do not think that I haven’t noticed your trickery! That is the third time this week–!”

“Onari,” Takeru interrupted, knowing that if he didn’t, it was likely that the other man would launch into a full blown tirade towards the cat, who seemed to hardly care less. Onari quickly straightened out, clearing his throat and nodding his head. 

“Ah yes, Takeru-dono! I have good news! There are a few children from the local neighbourhood who are interested in adopting the kittens.” He smiled, holding out the papers for Takeru to peruse. Makoto leaned over his shoulder, looking at a set of crudely made ‘adoption forms’ that Kanon and Onari had put together and distributed in the neighbourhood. There were two in total - one for Alia and one for Boost - and they looked like good homes. 

Alain was frowning across the table, his hand stilling mid-pet on Necrom’s head. 

“Adopting?” He asked, mouth pulled taught, and Makoto almost winced. Right. They hadn’t really discussed this in depth yet, aside from a few rushed ‘we’ll talk about it later’ promises that had never come to pass. He should have expected that Alain wouldn’t take well to the news. 

“Not all of them,” Takeru said quickly, because he could see the loss already creeping into Alain’s face, and he didn’t want to break his heart too much. “It’s just, we can’t look after all five of them forever. There’s vet bills and food bills, and we don’t have enough time to give all of them enough attention. So Makoto, Onari, Akari and Kanon and I decided to see if anyone in the neighbourhood might want to take one.” 

“You’re giving them away,” Alain clarified, sounding downright betrayed, and Makoto quickly reached out to grab his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

“We want them to be happy,” he corrected. “And you’ll get a say in where they go, I promise. We won’t give them to anyone unless you ok it first.” 

Alain tensed under his hand, staring down at Necrom in his lap. 

“You’re giving them away,” was all he said, and Makoto sighed. 

***

Alain’s attachment was what Makoto had been afraid of in the first place, but he couldn’t deny that having the cats around had helped him to open up a bit. Now, though, it was turning on him, and Alain had shut himself in his room with Alia and Boost almost all day. Makoto had thought it best to let him be, but Takeru was hovering outside the door worriedly. 

“Alain? Are you sure you don’t want to talk?” he asked for the fifth time that day, expecting only silence in return. This time, however, the door surprisingly slid open a crack, and he got a view of Alain, his eyes red and puffy. Takeru immediately felt bad; he wanted to take back everything, say that they could keep all the kittens, but they really couldn’t afford it. Three was the absolute limit, and even then paying the vet bills might be dicey. 

“Come in,” Alain said shortly, opening the door just enough so that Takeru could slip inside. Alia and Boost were curled up on the futon (which was left out, as usual), and there was a wastebin filled with tissues that Takeru pointedly ignored. Alain clearly didn’t want them to know he had been crying, and Takeru wasn’t going to make him uncomfortable if he didn’t have to. 

“Are you ok?” He asked inside, sitting down next to him so that their knees knocked together and their shoulders touched. Alain looked sullen and pouty, his hand absently stroking down Alia’s back and then teasing the fur on Boost’s belly. He didn’t look ok. 

“…I have been preparing,” he said finally, eyes still downcast, and Takeru glanced over his shoulder to two little piles that had been started in the corner of the room. “If… If it truly has to be, and they must go, then I want them to have everything they need. I gathered their favourite toys, and that one dish towel that Alia peed on once and claimed was his, and Boost’s favourite blanket. I don’t want them to feel like we’ve abandoned them, even if they have a new family…” 

He trailed off, looking down again, and Takeru pulled him in close, hugging him tight and kissing his cheek. 

“Oh, Alain. They’d never think that of you,” he reassured him, resting his head on his shoulder. “They love you. You’ll always be their number one cat dad.”

Alain stiffened for a second, his cheeks and the tips of his ears turning pink before he turned to look at Takeru out of the corner of his eye.

“I am… their father,” he repeated, and Takeru giggled a bit with a small grin on his face. Alain seemed ridiculously proud, and it immediately made him feel better. 

“Of course. You, me and Makoto are all their dads. Onari is more like an uncle… Akari and Kanon-chan are like aunts. Even if they have a new family, they’re never going to forget this one,” he said, running his fingers through Alain’s hair. “And more importantly, you’re never going to forget them. They’d never, ever think that somebody who loves them as much as you would abandon them.” 

Alain was quiet then, nibbling on his lower lip, but he leaned into Takeru’s embrace, and he seemed less forlorn than he had earlier. 

***

At first, Takeru thought that Alain wouldn’t want to be around when Boost’s new family came to pick her up. He had been unusually quiet for the past few days, and Takeru figured he was still missing Alia, who had gone to a nice older couple earlier that week. Necrom had been practically glued to his side, and Makoto had tried coaxing him into going out for Takoyaki, but even that wasn’t enough to rouse his mood. 

Surprisingly, though, when the young couple and their ten year old daughter came by, Alain came out of his room, the care package that he had put together clutched in his hands. The little girl had been excitedly teasing Boost with a toy mouse while Makoto told the parents what brand of food she was on and what kind of treats she liked, and Alain walked over to her seriously. 

She paused, looking up at him curiously when he held out the bundle to her. 

“This is… Her blanket. And her favourite toys. If you are to be her new family, then I entrust that you will take care of her,” he said, a bit stiffly, but the little girl hardly seemed phased. Her father looked a little offput, and Makoto was hovering, trying to figure out if he’d need to intervene, but instead the girl smiled brightly, picking Boost up in her arms and holding her close to her chest. 

“Don’t worry, mister! I’ll take really good care of her! I already love her a whooooole lot, and I’ll make sure she’s the happiest kitty in town,” she promised, extremely serious, and Alain looked taken aback for a moment before he nodded his head. 

“Then I entrust her to you,” he said softly, and Takeru smiled gently as the girl’s parents finished going over the basics with Makoto. 

***

After Boost was gone, Takeru and Makoto both went to Alain’s room, sliding the door open to find him leaning against the wall with all three remaining cats snuggled against him. He looked asleep, at first, but his eyes opened a crack when the door opened, so Takeru took a step inside and settled down beside him. 

“They’re going to be fine,” he reassured him, patting Necrom on the head as Alain leaned against him. 

“You did well.” Makoto had settled down on his other side, and was scratching Ghost under his chin. One arm snaked around Alain’s shoulders, and Takeru laid his hand on top of Makoto’s as the three of them settled and got comfortable. 

“It was difficult,” Alain admitted after a moment of comfortable quiet, the only noise in the room the gentle sound of purring. “I imagine this is what a father feels like, when his children grow up.” 

Makoto ruffled his hair, running his fingers through the strands with a small smile on his face. 

“I’m going to miss them too,” Takeru admitted. “Especially Boost. She liked to sit on my lap all the time.” 

Alain glanced up at him, then took a deep breath, steadying himself. 

“It is for the best,” he said, sounding a little solemn, but no longer sad. “This way, they can have the best in life.” 

Takeru grinned as Necrom stretched, climbing up so that she was settled on Alain’s chest, just beneath his shoulder. 

“And we still have these guys, so you’re still a cat dad,” he assured him, and Makoto tilted his head to the side in confusion as Alain nodded wisely. 

“I will aim to be the best possible father for you, Necrom,” he promised, and Necrom sneezed in response. Makoto couldn’t hold back a chuckle before he leaned in close, resting against Alain while Alain rested against Takeru. 

“You already are,” he said, while Takeru nodded his agreement. 

Once again, the tips of Alain’s ears turned pink.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written AGES ago as a birthday gift for the-evil-pizza on tumblr. I forgot about it and that's why it hasn't been added to ao3 until now, haha. I figured since I'm /finally/ finishing up watching ghost, now would be a good enough time to post it. :)


End file.
